A River in Egypt
by Violet Kefira
Summary: Harry, Hermione and Ron spend some time together out on the lake. Ron snickers, Hermione blushes, and Harry is in desperate denial. R&R HHR fluff!
1. Perfect denial

Hey, y'all! This is my second story. If you want to, try my other story, Train rides are… It's Harry/Hermione fluffy cuteness. So, anyway, I hope that when you read it you enjoy it and the same goes for this story, too!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, Harry and Hermione would have been together from chapter 3 in SS, Ron would never have gotten mad at Harry in GoF, oh, and that guy? Victor Krum? Yeah, he doesn't exist. See, aren't you all glad that I don't own Harry and co.?

On with the story…!

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For Merlin's sake, IT WAS COLD!

It was Monday night and, as is usual for November in England, it was very chilly. Hermione, Ron and I were out by the lake watching our gentle Giant Squid playfully terrorize a bunch of Hufflepuff first years. Sadly, the first years had no idea he was only playing and were terrified out of their minds. But that's first years for you.

As we sat underneath a tall tree, watching the first years and doing a little bit of homework, a strong breeze came up. It took up our papers, swirling them around us, then they lazily drifted up higher and higher in the sky. I swear, winds at Hogwarts are unnaturally thoughtful. I sometimes wonder if someone got a spell wrong and charmed the winds into having minds of their own. I wouldn't put it past any of us.

Right, so the wind had our papers and was carrying them off to who knows where, when I suddenly got the brilliant idea to use the '_Accio_' charm and get them back. So, with my trusty wand in hand, I cried out the spell over and over again…

"_Accio_ parchment! _Accio_ parchment! _Accio_ parchment!" With every shout a myriad of papers came zooming toward my hand. I caught them and placed them neatly by my bag. When I had all of my papers, I looked over to where Hermione and Ron were to see how they were faring.

Not so good. Ron had some scraps of paper clutched tightly in one hand, using his other to swipe at the flying parchment. He would jump up again and again, trying to reach his Transfiguration essay, but every time he jumped, it seemed as if the paper moved higher and higher in the air.

Hermione was doing even worse. She had lost her hat and scarf, the only thing protecting her from the bitter cold wind. She had managed to catch a grand total of zero papers and was on the verge of tears, chasing a particularly determined piece of parchment.

Seeing that Ron was nearly finished gathering his papers, I went over to help Hermione. Really, it was the only logical thing to do. Ron had most of his and Hermione had nearly none. This particular sense of logic would come back to haunt me, though, in only a few minutes' time.

So by jumping, leaping and using the '_Accio_' spell, Hermione and I finally had all of her papers in hand. I followed her back to the tree, where we collapsed under it, exhausted by our chase. It only took me a moment to sort through my retrieved papers, then I started on my essay for Divination again.

When I had to look up for more ink after a long sentence, I noticed that Hermione was shivering. She had lost her hat and scarf after all. So, being the gentleman that I am, I slipped out of my warm coat and draped it around her petite shoulders. She looked up at me and smiled gratefully, then went back to her book.

Sitting back down, I heard a snicker. It came from Ron, who was trying desperately to hide it under his textbook. Curious, I asked him,

"What's so funny?" He only snickered again and ignored my request. I asked him again, but slightly more forcefully. Looking up this time, he said,

"I never knew that you were such a gentleman, Harry," There was a mischievous look in his eye as he said this. I should have known that he would bring something out of this.

"I was only being nice," I said defensively. He just snickered again. "Hermione was cold and I had a jacket. What's the big deal?"

"I wasn't saying anything, Harry," he assured me, though I knew he was only joking, "Nothing more than that you're living-"

"By a river in Egypt; I know," I finished for him. "You've only told me a hundred times. Can't you just once tell me what it means?"

"Well, that's obvious enough," Hermione stated matter-of-factly. I looked at her in skepticism.

"What's so obvious about it?" I asked. "Do you know what it means?"

"Of course," she said it as if she was surprised I would even question it. "It's simple, really. What's a major river in Egypt?"

"Well, the Nile," Not a huge brainstorm. It's something that everybody knows.

"Right. So living by a river in Egypt would mean living by the Nile. Do you get it now?"

"Nope, sorry," I really didn't have any idea what she was talking about.

She sighed and spoke as if I were a small child, "Living by the Nile. Living _in_ the Nile. The Nile. Da Nile. Denial. Do you get it _now_?"

I thought over what she said. Then it hit me. "Oh! Denial! That's terribly clever! But what am I in denial of? That's what you mean, wasn't it, Ron?"

"Oh, yes," Ron said, "You're in denial of something."

"But what am I in denial of?" I asked again, feeling slightly frustrated by now.

"Well, that's obvious, too," Hermione said without looking at me.

"Oh, great," I drawled sarcastically. "Now you know too? Fine then, Mione. What am I in denial of?" I looked at her with faked keen interest. She wouldn't look me in the eye and her face was bright red. I wanted to know what it was that was bothering her so.

"That you like me."

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So what do you think? I'll say if...five people tell me that they want me to continue with the story, I will. I hope you enjoyed it!

Tay'slilgal


	2. All my friends are insane

Wow! I really am surprised at all of the reviews that I got for the last chapter! I'm really honored.

I want to thank all of my reviewers: Smiley, strawfreak22291!h&hrfan, Brazilianfan, taself, future movie maker, Gwendolyn14, and last, but certainly not least…Shang Warrior Phoenix! Thanks to all of y'all and I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

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"_Oh, great," I drawled sarcastically. "Now you know too? Fine then, Mione. What am I in denial of?" I looked at her with faked keen interest. She wouldn't look me in the eye and her face was bright red. I wanted to know what it was that was bothering her so._

"_That you like me."_

I stared. "Say what?"

Hermione wouldn't look me in the eye. She had let her long hair fall forward and hide her face. It was a feminine gesture that she never showed and I found it adorable.

"You're in denial of your feelings for me," she said again. Where does she come up with these thi- HOLY MERLIN! I JUST THOUGHT THAT SHE LOOKED ADORABLE! Okay, there's something seriously wrong with my head. Way too little sleep and too much homework. Yeah, yeah, that's it. I'm just insane. No romantic feelings here whatsoever. None. Nada. Zip.

"I am not in denial." I said forcefully. "It is not possible to be in denial of things that do not exist."

Hermione put her hands on her hips and huffed exasperatedly. "You are so thick!"

"I agree," was Ron's helpful contribution to this conversation. Up until this point he had been rolling around on the grass laughing his annoying little head off. So much for being my best mate.

I glared at Ron. "Oh, thanks. You are so helpful." Ron smiled and sat back, satisfied. He just doesn't understand the concept of sarcasm, does he?

"Well," Hermione said, "he's only taking the side of the one who is right. You like me."

How can she say that? "I do not!"

"Yes, you do!" she glared at me. "Harry, just admit it. You've been pining after me for the last three years. The least you can do for me now is admit to it."

Where does she get these ideas? "I have _not_ been pining over you! There is no reason for me to like you. I mean, you're my best friend!"

"All the more reason to have feelings for her, mate," said Ron. "You already know that you can talk to her."

"And you know everything about me." Hermione spoke up.

"And she's good at listening."

"We're both interested in the same things."

"And didn't you say that she looked beautiful at the Yule Ball?" This was too much.

"Well, yes, but-" Ron but me off:

"No 'buts' about it! You like her and that's _final_."

"Don't I get a say in this?" I asked timidly. "It _is_ my heart we're talking about after all."

"Not really." Ron said shortly.

"But shouldn't I be the one to say whether or not I like Hermione? You can't exactly tell me when to fall in love with someone."

"Look, mate," he spoke as if I was a very small child. "I have been your best friend for the last six years. I know you inside and out. And, from that point of view, I can tell exactly what feelings you have for our Mione."

"And those feelings are no more than those of friendship," Why couldn't they just understand this?

"Wrong again," Ron rolled his eyes. "You need to just fess up and take responsibility for your feelings. It'll get you nowhere to deny them for forever."

"You make it sound like a crime." Honestly, what was so terrible about being in denial? Which I'm not.

"Well, technically, it's not a crime," Hermione, speaking up for the first time in several minutes, looked thoughtful, "But it's not a very good thing to do. Trust me, I've been in denial about something for quite sometime. And it is not as easy as some would think."

"Ooh!" Ron squealed quite uncharacteristically. "What are _you_ in denial of?"

"_That_," looked down her nose at him. "Is for me to know and you to never find out."

Ron just rolled his eyes again and turned back to me. "So, what we're saying, mate, is that you really like Hermione and you need to confess to it before it really gets to be bad. Because, as we all know, denial is something that can ruin your life."

"Exactly," Hermione continued for him. "So, we'll give you a few minutes, then you need to just come out and say it. It's really not that hard. Just 'I like you Hermione,' will do." They both settled back into a comfortable position, then looked up at me in expectancy.

That settles it. All of my friends are officially insane.

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So, what did you think? Is it as good as the first chapter? There was a lot more dialogue than the first one and I don't know if that's good or bad.

I'm going to take a vote on the next part of the story. All of y'all get to choose what you think should happen.

Option A: Harry spends a good long time thinking about all they've said, then eventually confesses to Hermione his love for her.

Option B: He's scared. He runs away and hides, confused and trying to figure out his feelings. This option will take a little bit longer (2 or 3 more chapters) to get them together.

Y'all pick what you want and I'll write whatever option got the most votes. If you have any other ideas, please tell them to me and I'll see if I could use them. Thanks for reading!

Tay'slilgal


	3. Realizations and confessions

Hey y'all! I've changed my name (yes, I know you're all rolling your eyes and thinking 'Not again!') to Ninita de mi Brooke. It's Spanish for 'my Brooke's little girl' or 'my Brooke's little child.' If you actually care at all about why, just read about it in my profile.

Anyways, on to what you _really_ want me to write about: the story. Fabulous idea isn't it? Continuing stories that I've started? It took me positively _ages_ to think it up; it's so farfetched.

Well, I took a tally of all the votes, and Option A. won (Woot! Woot! Is what most of you are thinking. But…I don't care! I'm writing Option B!)

Nah, just kidding. Though I will throw in a good deal of Option B. considering that that is really what I wanted to write. So…on with the story!

_Ron just rolled his eyes again and turned back to me. "So, what we're saying, mate, is that you really like Hermione and you need to confess to it before it really gets to be bad. Because, as we all know, denial is something that can ruin your life."_

"_Exactly," Hermione continued for him. "So, we'll give you a few minutes, then you need to just come out and say it. It's really not that hard. Just 'I like you, Hermione,' will do." They both settled back into a comfortable position, then looked up at me in expectancy._

_That settles it. All of my friends are officially insane. _Now the question is…how do I deal with the insanity? Frankly, I could completely ignore them and their absurd ideas and go on with my life as if none of this humiliating experience had ever happened.

But, then again, I'm not so sure anymore that what they're saying is so totally absurd. Now, don't get me wrong, I couldn't possibly like Hermione. She's my best friend. But all this stuff about being in denial is a good thing to go on.

So hear me out. Love is like a great big burning fire; the size of the ones we build up on Guy Fawkes Day. (A/N I'm not British, but I'm pretty sure that this is a holiday in Britain involving large bonfires and burning some sort of fake man. Feel free, all you British people, to kill me if I'm wrong) Obviously, when there's a fire, your first instinct is to run and hide from it.

So, when you're in denial of your feelings for another person, you're ignoring the great big fire that's burning inside of you. By doing so, the fire will eventually burn you alive and you will be reduced to a withering form, crying in agony, only wishing that you had kept that glass of water with you when you left the office.

Okay, so denying feelings for Hermione won't do all that to me. Not even close, considering that love is not actually a fire, but a feeling. But denial could still hurt.

The problem is, I'm not really sure what I'm in denial of, or even if I really _am_ in denial. If I did have some sort of romantic feelings for Hermione, wouldn't her saying something about it to my face cause a kind of embarrassment for me? I mean, if Cho had ever confronted me in fourth year about my brush on her I would have been utterly devastated.

But if what they're saying is true, then what I feel isn't a silly schoolboy crush at all. It's full-fledged love. But I'm not really sure if I should be ready for love yet. I'm only sixteen years old, after all. Then again, if there was anyone on the face of this earth that would drive a man to be in love with her at an early age, if would be my Mione.

'My Mione?' What the-? Where did that come from? And I just thought that Hermione could drive a man to be in love with her at an early age? Holy Merlin, maybe I _am_ in love with her. But…but…that's absurd. I can't be in love with my best friend. That would just be weird; us walking around the halls together, holding hands; giving her jewelry for Christmas and grinning when she hugs me saying thank you over and over again; and, by the gods, _kissing_! Kissing Hermione Granger! Of all the things to think of.

But who's to say that she would do all of those things with me? Just because she's urging me to tell her that I like her doesn't mean that she really likes me too. Well, now, _that's_ a scary thought. Can you just imagine it? 'Okay, Mione, I've decided that I like you!' 'Oh, wow, Harry that's great! You're not in denial anymore!' and that's it. Then I spend the rest of our days together in pain because I know that she doesn't like me and trying to come up with plans that will get her to go out with me; plans that actually work.

Wait, does all of this mean that I really do like Hermione? Frankly, it really is possible. I mean, there were all those times when she was the most important thing to me and I did everything that I could to keep her safe. Like, in first year, when Quirrel let that troll in. My first thought was to make sure that Hermione was safe and that the troll wouldn't hurt her. At the time, I had assumed it was because of my instinct to help people. Certainly not because I had any sort of affections for her.

Then, in second year, when Hermione was petrified, I was positively devastated. I constantly wished for her to be there and my first thought when I needed that alibi for McGonagall was something about Mione. Merlin, I missed her so much back then. Needless to say, I only thought it was because she was one of my best friends. How could I possibly have liked her?

And in third year, I was so worried about her in the forest. My first thought was to protect her from Grawp when he was throwing all those trees around. And it really felt good to have her arms around me when we were flying on Buckbeak. But I was sure that was just because it was kind of cold and her hold on me was warm, not because I wanted to touch her or be near her.

The list could go on and on! I guess that I really do like Hermione. I just…wow…it's weird. Somehow, it feels right to say it, but I don't know it's just…wow. It makes sense. But I don't want to admit to it. At least not to Hermione. There's no telling what she would say or do. So now I only have one choice.

"I've decided what my answer is," I said in a determined voice. Hermione jerked awake (she had fallen asleep while I was thinking) and looked up at me hopefully. Ron grinned and sighed, saying something that sounded suspiciously like "Finally." I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and said something that I should have said years ago:

"Hermione, I _lov_e you." Then I ran back up and into the castle at full speed, trying to ignore the surprised faces behind me. Tomorrow is going to be painful.

What do you think? It's a combination of both options, really. I think that it turned out alright.

I want to thank with large amounts of cupcakes all my reviewers: Shang Warrior Phoenix, scullymulder, kutekelcie, Smiley, SpellBound05, harryloveshermione-16, follow-ur-dreams, taself, future movie maker! Y'all are great!

See that little blue/purple/burple button down there near the left hand corner of the screen? If you push it, a magic genie appears by your side with a plate of mouth-watering brownies fresh from the oven. Yes, I know that resorting to bribery is a low way to get reviews, but I really want them! They feed my soul!

Much love and thanks,

Ninita de mi Brooke

_Ron just rolled his eyes again and turned back to me. "So, what we're saying, mate, is that you really like Hermione and you need to confess to it before it really gets to be bad. Because, as we all know, denial is something that can ruin your life."_

"_Exactly," Hermione continued for him. "So, we'll give you a few minutes, then you need to just come out and say it. It's really not that hard. Just 'I like you, Hermione,' will do." They both settled back into a comfortable position, then looked up at me in expectancy._

_That settles it. All of my friends are officially insane. _Now the question is…how do I deal with the insanity? Frankly, I could completely ignore them and their absurd ideas and go on with my life as if none of this humiliating experience had ever happened.

But, then again, I'm not so sure anymore that what they're saying is so totally absurd. Now, don't get me wrong, I couldn't possibly like Hermione. She's my best friend. But all this stuff about being in denial is a good thing to go on.

So hear me out. Love is like a great big burning fire; the size of the ones we build up on Guy Fawkes Day. (A/N I'm not British, but I'm pretty sure that this is a holiday in Britain involving large bonfires and burning some sort of fake man. Feel free, all you British people, to kill me if I'm wrong) Obviously, when there's a fire, your first instinct is to run and hide from it.

So, when you're in denial of your feelings for another person, you're ignoring the great big fire that's burning inside of you. By doing so, the fire will eventually burn you alive and you will be reduced to a withering form, crying in agony, only wishing that you had kept that glass of water with you when you left the office.

Okay, so denying feelings for Hermione won't do all that to me. Not even close, considering that love is not actually a fire, but a feeling. But denial could still hurt.

The problem is, I'm not really sure what I'm in denial of, or even if I really _am_ in denial. If I did have some sort of romantic feelings for Hermione, wouldn't her saying something about it to my face cause a kind of embarrassment for me? I mean, if Cho had ever confronted me in fourth year about my brush on her I would have been utterly devastated.

But if what they're saying is true, then what I feel isn't a silly schoolboy crush at all. It's full-fledged love. But I'm not really sure if I should be ready for love yet. I'm only sixteen years old, after all. Then again, if there was anyone on the face of this earth that would drive a man to be in love with her at an early age, if would be my Mione.

'My Mione?' What the-? Where did that come from? And I just thought that Hermione could drive a man to be in love with her at an early age? Holy Merlin, maybe I _am_ in love with her. But…but…that's absurd. I can't be in love with my best friend. That would just be weird; us walking around the halls together, holding hands; giving her jewelry for Christmas and grinning when she hugs me saying thank you over and over again; and, by the gods, _kissing_! Kissing Hermione Granger! Of all the things to think of.

But who's to say that she would do all of those things with me? Just because she's urging me to tell her that I like her doesn't mean that she really likes me too. Well, now, _that's_ a scary thought. Can you just imagine it? 'Okay, Mione, I've decided that I like you!' 'Oh, wow, Harry that's great! You're not in denial anymore!' and that's it. Then I spend the rest of our days together in pain because I know that she doesn't like me and trying to come up with plans that will get her to go out with me; plans that actually work.

Wait, does all of this mean that I really do like Hermione? Frankly, it really is possible. I mean, there were all those times when she was the most important thing to me and I did everything that I could to keep her safe. Like, in first year, when Quirrel let that troll in. My first thought was to make sure that Hermione was safe and that the troll wouldn't hurt her. At the time, I had assumed it was because of my instinct to help people. Certainly not because I had any sort of affections for her.

Then, in second year, when Hermione was petrified, I was positively devastated. I constantly wished for her to be there and my first thought when I needed that alibi for McGonagall was something about Mione. Merlin, I missed her so much back then. Needless to say, I only thought it was because she was one of my best friends. How could I possibly have liked her?

And in third year, I was so worried about her in the forest. My first thought was to protect her from Grawp when he was throwing all those trees around. And it really felt good to have her arms around me when we were flying on Buckbeak. But I was sure that was just because it was kind of cold and her hold on me was warm, not because I wanted to touch her or be near her.

The list could go on and on! I guess that I really do like Hermione. I just…wow…it's weird. Somehow, it feels right to say it, but I don't know it's just…wow. It makes sense. But I don't want to admit to it. At least not to Hermione. There's no telling what she would say or do. So now I only have one choice.

"I've decided what my answer is," I said in a determined voice. Hermione jerked awake (she had fallen asleep while I was thinking) and looked up at me hopefully. Ron grinned and sighed, saying something that sounded suspiciously like "Finally." I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and said something that I should have said years ago:

"Hermione, I _lov_e you." Then I ran back up and into the castle at full speed, trying to ignore the surprised faces behind me. Tomorrow is going to be painful.

What do you think? It's a combination of both options, really. I think that it turned out alright.

I want to thank with large amounts of cupcakes all my reviewers: Shang Warrior Phoenix, scullymulder, kutekelcie, Smiley, SpellBound05, harryloveshermione-16, follow-ur-dreams, taself, future movie maker! Y'all are great!

See that little blue/purple/burple button down there near the left hand corner of the screen? If you push it, a magic genie appears by your side with a plate of mouth-watering brownies fresh from the oven. Yes, I know that resorting to bribery is a low way to get reviews, but I really want them! They feed my soul!

Much love and thanks,

Ninita de mi Brooke


	4. This better be good

Holy Merlin. Legolascrazy17 is one of my reviewers. I want you to know that you are my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE AUTHOR! "Battle of the Hearts" and "Looks are deceiving" are most definitely the best stories that I have ever read! Everyone else reading this story should exit this page and go read those two stories now. Read "Battle of the Hearts" first because it's the first one. Legolascrazy17, you are the best!

Oh, goodness! I can't believe that I made that mistake about Grawp! I was probably thinking about Remus in his werewolf form. I really must be an idiot. Thanks for pointing that out, FredLover! I'll be _way_ more careful about it in the future.

Anyways…enough of me drooling of the author of my dreams. On with the story!

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I woke up in the morning, surprised to find tears still running down my face. I should've gotten over the despair of yesterday by now.

See, when I ran into the castle, I realized that I had probably just done a really good job of ending the best friendship that I ever had. I had just told my best friend that I loved her. What kind of idiot does that? Obviously the "Harry Potter" kind of idiot.

So, I ran into the castle, realized that, and (insert foot shuffling and mumbling here) started crying. But can you really blame me? Well, actually, you probably can, but that's beside the point. The point is that I had just done a very good job of ending the best and longest lasting friendship that I have ever had. Yes, there's Ron, but there was that time in fourth year. You know, when he hated my guts and everything?

Anyways, when I realized that Hermione wouldn't want to be around me anymore, I started crying. I mean, this is my Mione we're talking about here. Hermione "Cheer-me-up-when-I'm-down-give-me-advice-on-girls-never-leave-my-side-help-me-with-my-homework-because-I'm-moronic" Granger would want to have nothing to do with me.

Really, there were only a few things that I could do about it.

1. Act as if it never happened and go on with my day to day.

2. Explain to Hermione that I was under the influence of a very powerful Babbling Draught and meant absolutely nothing of what I had said.

3. Run away and hide. Like, forever.

None of those seem like they would work very well. Especially the last one; I'm not very good with small spaces. Besides, I could never pretend like it didn't happen. It would be too hard to act like I wasn't in love with her. Well, technically, I've been acting like I'm _not_ in love with her for the past five years. But, then again, I didn't _know_ that I was in love with her.

All of this thinking is making my head hurt. Perhaps you'd like to know what happened after I ran into the castle at full speed, no?

Well, I immediately ran up to Gryffindor Tower, where I skillfully dodged Colin and Dennis Creevey, who were intent on taking thousands of pictures of the tears streaming down my face, and took the stairs to my dormitory three at a time. I wrenched open the door at the top of the staircase, slammed it behind me, pulled back the hangings on my four poster and flung myself upon it, burying my head in the pillow. How's that for melodramatic, eh?

As it was already pretty dark outside, I figured that someone would be coming up to go to bed pretty soon. As I thought, Neville and Seamus came rushing through the door not more than thirty minutes after I had run in. I hurriedly tried to close the curtains around my bed in the hopes that they wouldn't see me, but no such luck.

"Oi!" Seamus shouted, bouncing over and ripping the curtains out of my hands. "What's with you?" It seemed to me that that wasn't a very sensitive thing to do, really. Ah, well, it is _Seamus_ after all.

"I'll tell you what's with me," I said irritably. "Ron and Hermione just tricked me into telling Hermione that I love her. That's what's with me."

Seamus seemed slightly taken aback. "Oh," was all he said.

Neville, however, had an awful lot to say about it: "You told Hermione that you love her?" he exclaimed excitedly. "_Finally! _Merlin, do you know how long we've waited for this?"

"What?" I said, pulling back my hangings to look at him questioningly. "You've been _waiting_ for me to tell her?"

"Yeah," he said. "Of course. What else do you think we talk about up here on Saturday nights when there's nothing else to do? We actually had bets down on how long it would take you."

"Bets?" I asked incredulously. "How could you possibly have bets down on this? For that matter, how could you even think that I liked Hermione? I didn't even think about it myself until earlier today!"

"Well, that's obvious, isn't it?" he said. When I made it clear that I thought it was not obvious by shaking my head vigorously, he rolled his eyes. He was about to continue when all of a sudden…

"Harry!" Ron burst in through the door, his face pink, probably from running up the stairs.

"What?" I asked.

"Hermione wants to see you," he said, now grinning. "She says you need to talk."

"Talk? Talk about what? Why would she want to talk?" I crossed my arms in defiance, "There is no way that I am going to go down there and talk to her. It was embarrassing enough having _you_," here I glared at Ron, "trick me into telling her that I loved her."

"I didn't trick you," Ron said, still grinning. "Besides, Hermione told me to tell you that if you wouldn't come down to speak to her, then she was going to come up here."

Grumbling, I stood up from my bed and walked past Ron to the door. Opening it, I started down the stairs. Halfway down, I looked back up at him and glared.

"This better end in something good, mate," I said. "Because if it doesn't, I'm going to hex you so hard, your body will be here and your head will be all the way in Egypt. Then _you_ can have a taste of living by the Nile."

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So, what did you think of this chapter? I don't think that the ending was really good, but I wanted to update to keep my reviewers happy and so I just kind of threw it together. Please tell me what you think!

Much love,

NinitademiBrooke


	5. An outburst and another confession

Hey. Sorry that it took so long to get this chapter up, but I had an awful lot going on what with Bible School at my church and piano competitions and all sorts of other things that aren't in anyway relevant to anything! Right, so on to the story!

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_Grumbling, I stood up from my bed and walked past Ron to the door. Opening it, I started down the stairs. Halfway down, I looked back up at him and glared._

"_This better end in something good, mate," I said. "Because if it doesn't, I'm going to hex you so hard, your body will be here and your head will be all the way in Egypt. Then _you _can have a taste of living by the Nile."_

Well, that was dashingly clever of me, don't you suppose? 'Have a taste of living by the Nile,' HA! Fantastic closing line, don't you think? Couldn't have said it better if I'd wanted to.

Anyway, as I walked down the last few stairs, sniggering over my last comment (I can't get over how bloody brilliant that was!), I thought about what I was going to do. And it almost made me turn around and walk right back up those stairs. But, the thought of Ron's gloating face at the top kept me going until I reached the bottom, opened the door and stepped out into the Common Room.

Hermione was sitting by the fire in a large, squishy armchair. Her bushy hair was tied back in a thick ponytail at the nape of her neck. A few stray strands of hair framed her pretty face as she gazed into the fire.

Timidly I walked up to her, trying with all my heart not to run screaming out the door. "Hermione?" I said, coming to stand beside her, one hand on the arm of the chair.

She looked up and smiled. "Harry!" she said, beaming. "I wasn't sure if you'd come down or not, after what happened outside."

I grinned sheepishly. "Well, you can't really blame me can you? It was rather a hard thing to say, don't you think?"

"Yes, rather a hard thing to say," she said, looking down thoughtfully. After a moment, though she looked back up, cheerful again. "But listen, I really wanted to talk to you about it."

"Talk about what?" I asked, pulling another chair up in front of hers and settling myself down in it.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Don't play dumb with me, Harry James Potter. I know that you know what I'm talking about. I need to talk to you about what you said."

"So, talk," Ooh, I'm so smooth sometimes. Sometimes.

Hermione looked slightly flustered. "What, you – you don't want to say anything?" she asked.

"What is there to say?" I said, smiling smugly. "I said everything that needed saying down there by the lake. I really do love you, Hermione," I reached up a suddenly trembling hand and tenderly tucked a strand of hair back behind her ear. She smiled sweetly and it warmed me to my toes to see that I could make her that happy.

"That's just the thing," she said, and there was a slight tremor in her voice. "I'm not sure that you really _do_ love me, Harry."

"But – but why?" I asked incredulously. "What lead you to believe that?"

"Well," she said. She looked back into the fire. "It's just that you've never done anything at all to make me believe that you really do love me. And you said so yourself that it wasn't possible for you to like me. And – and, oh, Harry!" she cried, looking back up at me with eyes brimming with tears. "A man can't just suddenly realize that he's in love! It's something that has to be recognized eventually, over a long period of time. It has to be thought through carefully and analyzed and given time and –"

"Who says?" I interrupted. I caught her hands in mine and stared at her in earnest. "Who says that a man can't realize that he's in love? Why can't I suddenly understand what I've been feelings for years?"

"Because you just can't!" Hermione said, now sobbing uncontrollably. Several Gryffindors around us were now watching us curiously. "You can't suddenly decide that you have strong feelings for someone. I know, Harry, I know! Love has to be thought over!"

"No, it doesn't!" I cried loudly, laughing in spite of myself. "Love is an emotion. Emotions aren't analyzed and thought about, why don't you understand? Love is not a school assignment, Hermione, okay? It's a feeling. It can't be controlled."

"But even things that can't be controlled by others control themselves! Love develops slowly, Harry, it doesn't just all of a sudden happen." Hermione seemed almost desperate to make me understand this.

"But it didn't just all of a sudden happen, sweetheart," I said and she smiled through her tears at the name. "I've loved you for years, Hermione, haven't you realized that yet? I just didn't know it. I didn't know that the terror I felt every time you were in danger was because I couldn't bear to lose you. I didn't know that the reason it tore my heart to pieces when I thought you were dead was because I was in love. I thought it was just because you were my best friend! But, don't you see, Hermione, I love you."

"I know you do, Harry," she said quietly.

"Hermione, I promise I – what?" I stopped myself, mid-sentence. "What did you say?"

She smiled. "I said that I know you love me. I've always known."

I stared at her. "Then what was all this for?"

"I had to make sure that you knew it, too," she said, laughter in her pretty brown eyes. "I knew that if you had to explain what you felt than you would be sure if it. There would be no doubt in your mind that you loved me."

"But I still don't understand," I said, reaching a hand up to ruffle my hair. "Why is it so important to you that I know? Do you just want me to be more heartbroken, or something?"

"No, no, of course not!" she cried hastily. "I would never want you to be heartbroken, Harry."

"Then what's the point?" I asked. "If you don't want me to be heartbroken, than you wouldn't have made me sure that I was in love with you. You would have tried to make me get over you. Not unless you –" I stopped. "But you couldn't, not after all this time. You would've said something, wouldn't you?"

Hermione refused to look at me. She seemed determinedly fascinated with the fingers on her right hand. "Hermione?" I asked, sliding out of my chair to kneel before hers. "Is there something that you're not telling me?"

"I – I," she stuttered.

"You what?" I asked gently. Silence. Impatient, I reached my right hand up and put a finger to the side of her chin, pushing her face towards me. "You what?" I asked again, now with a slight force in my voice.

"I wanted to make sure that you were sure that you loved me because, because," she stopped and took a shuddering breath. "Because I l-love you. Please don't be mad!" she cried, burying her face again in her hands.

But I only laughed and jumped up. She stared at me as if I were insane. "You're not mad?" she asked.

"Mad?" I cried. "Why in the world would I be mad? You just told me that you love me!" Laughing again, I grabbed her by the hands, pulled her out of her chair and swung her around in the air. Grinning like an idiot, I set her down and pulled her close to me. Before she could say anything else, I captured her lips with mine.

"By Merlin, _finally_!" cried a voice from the bottom of the girls' staircase. Pulling away reluctantly from Hermione, I looked to see Ginny and Ron standing together, laughing their little red heads off.

The next ten minutes was spent under a myriad of claps on the back, congratulations, sly comments and not to mention at least forty people saying that it took us long enough. In the midst of it all, I held Hermione close to my side, knowing that I would never keep something from her again.

_Fin_

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So, what did you think? I'm just glad I finally finished it. Please, please tell me what you think about this!

NinitademiBrooke


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